


Like A Date

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Cold Weather, F/M, does mulder have a secret girlfriend?, jealous scully, scully sure thinks so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 10:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17078696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: Scully thinks Mulder has a secret girlfriend and follows him.





	1. Chapter 1

If only it wasn’t so cold. Her raging jealousy kept her warm for all of five minutes. Now here she is, her hands deep in her coat pockets, her nose hidden inside her collar. She should have dressed more sensibly. Her feet sting from the cold; she should be lucky they’re not numb yet. All of this is Mulder’s fault. Mulder who should be as cold as she is, but who looks like a Calvin Klein model in his worn jeans and his leather jacket. He’s probably not cold, thinking of his date, the woman he is about to meet.

His girlfriend.

Scully doesn’t mind Mulder dating. Too much. He’s allowed a life outside of work. Even if she seems unable to lead one herself. Mulder, it seems, has found the time. From her hiding spot she sees him check his watch. Scully does the same. They’ve been here close to an hour. Mulder’s secret girlfriend isn’t very punctual. Another reason to dislike her.

Her hands tingle and her fingers hurt when she flexes them. She shouldn’t be out here in these temperatures, not so soon after Antarctica. She worries about Mulder, too. His frostbites are healed, just like hers. This extended exposure to cold isn’t good for either of them, though. Where is this mysterious woman? And why is Mulder meeting her in the park of all places?

She can no longer feel her feet. Those damn heels! Damn Mulder. Damn his girlfriend. She knows she has no right to be jealous. But she is. She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. It’s because of that almost kiss.

Scully doesn’t remember much from their ordeal. Her memories are bits and pieces, an incomplete puzzle. But that kiss, that almost, is etched into her mind. She can still feel the warmth of his hands against her skin, the desperation in his touch. Maybe Mulder doesn’t. She glances at him, can’t see his expression from his far away. It’s possible he doesn’t spend nights thinking about it, wondering. If that bee had never stung, or if it had stung her just five seconds later. A million different scenarios and Scully has thought about them all.

Coming here was a stupid idea. As much as it pains her, as jealous as she is, this isn’t right. One last look at Mulder and she turns to leave. Her feet, however, have different ideas. She stumbles in her heels, barely catches herself from falling over.

“Scully?” She hears him jog over to her rather than she sees him. There’s no way she can run away from him. “What are you doing here?” He steadies her.

“I-well… I followed you.” She can’t lie. Nothing she can think of would sound convincing. She’s cold, she’s tired and she can’t think.

“Why? Scully, you’re cold.” He touches her cheeks and she swears she can feel the warmth return to her.

“Your- I- we’ve been out here a while.” Mulder nods. His nose is all red.

“Why did you follow me? Why aren’t you home?”

“This is embarrassing, Mulder.”

“Tell me anyway?” He smiles at her.

“I wanted to see her.”

“See who?”

“Your girlfriend.”

“My what?” He laughs. The sound is loud here in the quiet night.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop earlier. But I caught part of your phone call where you made the date for tonight.”

“Scully, I was meeting a source. He didn’t show up as you can see.”

“You don’t need to lie to me. You’re free to date if you so desire.”

“Well, thank you. But I’m telling you the truth. I wasn’t meeting a girlfriend. There is no one in my life but you.”

“If it’s a source, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Scully, it’s Friday night and it’s freezing. I didn’t want to bother you. We’re not assigned to the x-files right now and I know you weren’t too happy with our trip to Area 51. Judging by your look, you don’t believe me.”

“I do,” she says and realizes it’s the truth. “I’m just surprised.”

“That I don’t have a girlfriend?” He grins at her and she feels the need to hit him. Fearing that it would hurt her more than him, she stops herself.

“That you can be so considerate.”

“New Year’s Resolution.” He shrugs.

“What kind of information did your source claim to have?”

“I promise I’ll tell you, but not here. I’m freezing and looking at you, I’m sure you’re already frozen. What were you thinking wearing these shoes in weather like this, Scully?” She wasn’t thinking at all. She hobbles alongside Mulder who slings his arm around her waist.

“I didn’t think it would take this long.”

“All because you thought I was dating some woman?” She doesn’t even need to look at him to see his proud expression. He’s delighted by her apparent jealousy.

“Can we not talk about this right now? My feet hurt.”

“I know the perfect solution. I have hot chocolate and an extra pair of woolen socks at home. So what do you say, Scully? Sound like a… date?”

It is.


	2. Within Reach

“Go sit on the couch,” Mulder pushes her towards it gently, switching on a light, “I’ll go search for the socks.” He squeezes her shoulder before he disappears into his bedroom.

Scully takes off her heels, wincing. Following Mulder and standing out in the cold for over an hour had been a terrible idea. She gets that now. Her cheeks turn pink when she realizes she’s never even entertained the thought that he could be meeting a source. No, she went straight to secret girlfriend. And they call Mulder crazy.

Neither of them acknowledges that Scully could have just driven home. They got into their respective cars and drove to his apartment. He invited her to his place, have some hot cocoa and warm her feet in woolen socks and here she is. Mulder returns, his face having turned red from the warmth inside the apartment. She must look similar.

“Here you go.” He kneels in front of her, touching her feet and shaking his head. “Your feet are like ice blocks. Does this hurt?” Mulder asks and squeezes her foot. Her grimace is answer enough. “You’re a doctor, Scully.” He rolls the socks over her feet tenderly. She sighs, appreciating the immediate warm fuzziness.

“Thank you.” He just chuckles.

“I’m gonna make some hot cocoa. We need to warm up.” His thoughtfulness catches her by surprise and she sits there speechless. He hands her the remote for the TV. “Find something you like.”

Scully switches on the TV, but listens to the unfamiliar sounds of Mulder’s domesticity. She hears him hum and when he talks to himself, searching for an extra mug, she smiles. She wanted to know who his source is, what they know and why they contacted Mulder. But now she realizes she doesn’t care, not today. Not when they can have this instead. When do they ever get the chance to just sit together, no work between them? She leaves The Nutcracker on, Tchaikovsky’s familiar tune softly filling the air.

She gets up, her feet protesting. She flexes her toes a few times, testing them. She’s glad no one sees her hobble to the kitchen. Mulder stands there, staring into space and nibbling on a cookie.

“Hey, did your parents not teach you to share?” Startled, he turns to her, his cheeks reminding her of a hamster’s. She smiles.

“I was gonna,” he says, cookie crumbs falling from his mouth. “But I got hungry waiting for the water to boil.”

“You have no patience.” She inches closer and Mulder grabs the last remaining cookie from the plate.

“But I have the cookie.”

“Share, Mulder.”

“Only in exchange for information,” he says, holding the cookie out of her reach.

“What kind of information? You met with the source.”

“I didn’t. You were there, remember? I want to know why you were jealous.”

“I wasn’t. Hand over the cookie.” She reaches for it and Mulder holds it even higher, shaking his head.

“You were. Why, Scully?”

“The cookie.”

“No.”

“Mulder, this isn’t fair. You’re taller than me and you know I can’t get on tiptoes. My feet hurt.” Even if she did, he’d still be too damn tall. Damn him.

“All you have to do is tell the truth.” His grin is his damnation. Scully doesn’t think when she throws herself at him like a bowling ball. He stumbles, holding her loosely around the waist, and then they crash to the floor, Scully straddling him. She uses the moment of surprise, steals the cookie out of his hand and stuffs it into her mouth.

“Thief,” he whispers, out of breath. His eyes drift lower, to her mouth, and it’s only then that she realizes how close they are, that she’s sitting in his lap. She moves and he groans.

“Hurt?” She asks, still chewing. He shakes his head slowly, his eyes glued to her mouth.

“How’s the cookie?”

“Good,” she says, swallowing. The chocolate chips are sweet, the cookie soft and buttery.

“Can I have a taste?” She’s been waiting months for him to make another move. Wondered if he’d only dare once one of them was dying, hurting or leaving. She didn’t think she’d be in his lap, wearing his socks, the taste of chocolate on her tongue. She doesn’t answer, decides it’s her turn.

She puts her hands on his face, cradles his cheeks. She gives him a smile, a bit shaky, a bit nervous. Leaning forward their lips meet for the first time. No bee, no pain, just them.

“Next time you feel jealous, Scully,” he kisses the words against her lips, his mouth moving against hers, making her weak, stealing her breath and her sanity, “know that I’ve wanted to do this for a long, long time. There’s no secret girlfriend and there won’t ever be. Only you.” Scully looks at him, licks her lips. Chocolate and Mulder, the perfect combination.

“You promised me hot cocoa.” His look is full of surprise, his hands are on her waist. “But there are other ways to get warm. Let me show you.”


End file.
